Paragon of Sin

"Nin-nine…NINE RUNES!" On the Shattered World Moon, three figures were gathered at the edge of the protective shell erected by the mystic-graded protective formation. The alluringly rich color of sky-blue gave the moon a unique beauty, a combination of water and wind energies that diffused all incoming disasters. 

Of the three, one was left with their mouth gaping as they observed the ongoing battle and world-shaking shockwaves, feeling like a pinball that was sent to the edges of their starfield. This person was an Ascended being and could acutely sense the vigorous Mystic Intent and various Mystic Runes circulating around both parties from a vast distance, even distinguishing them. 

It was none other than Song Yunhai, the father of Yue Songli, and proud cultivator at the Soul of Mysticism Phase. His current facial expression wasn't out-of-place amongst the other observers. In fact, it was relatively tame. After the high-speed exchange between the Soul Saint King and Zhan Zheng settled down, they began to digest the immense power of both parties in abject awe and fear. Some hollered hysterically, others prayed to the heavens, and a few even thought the world was ending, taking their lives swiftly to avoid any pain. 

If it wasn't for these protective formations, the entire starfield would've met their end at these two's hands. Perhaps only the nine Solar Stars that were proudly strewn across the starfield would remain standing. What type of beings could cause such catastrophic events?! 

These cultivators were usually powerful and respected, and most had simply accepted it as a matter of course. After all, since being at a higher cultivation base meant being stronger, it was typical for the highest cultivation base in any cultivation society to be treated with the greatest degree of respect and reverence, but bearing witness to their godly might left them deeply shaken down to their souls.

When the concept of 'beyond' Mortal Limits became popularized with a deeper understanding of the Mystic Ascendant Realm's stages, few could conceptualize the power this realm would bring or what feats they could achieve. Now, two Earthly Saints at only the fourth stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm were unleashing cataclysmic, world-ending might! 

"Nine…runes…" Yue Lixiang whispered softly as her eyes slightly widened with dreadful shock. As an Earthly Saint, she fully understood what nine Mystic Runes meant. A being that has comprehended all Ways of Mysticism, reaching the limits of Awakened Mystic Intent, and harnessing unimaginable powers!

It was similar to a cultivator gaining insight into an Apex-level Intent of the Material Dao! The Soul Saint King's talent was unquestionable, reaching the 8th Runic Ascendant State. This was acceptable. When Wu Yu's Runic Ascendant State was revealed, it shook the hearts of everyone who heard it, lending heavy credibility to Wei Wuyin's mysterious background. 

Now, this strange Earthly Saint of his also had nine runes!

Han Yuhei's eyes quivered endlessly. His decision was right! Wei Wuyin, even this strange Earthly Saint, had the ability to reach the 9th Runic Ascendant State. This meant Wei Wuyin definitely had means to allow cultivators to transcend their initial foundation! After all, it was extremely difficult to bypass their natural Runic Ascension.

Han Yuhei reached the 4th Runic Ascension as a Soul of Mysticism Phase cultivator, and had entered the Earthly Saint Phase as a 3rd Runic Ascendant, yet after thousands of years, he could only reach the 4th Runic Ascendant State. Despite his talent and means, he still found it extremely difficult to take a single step forward. 

Yet Wu Yu, a cultivator who had a 7th Runic Ascension, had become an 8th Runic Ascendant at the Earthly Saint Phase immediately! This was one of the greatest reasons why Earthly Saints gathered around Wei Wuyin like flies. Moreover, they had very little idea how to transcend the Earthly Saint Phase, so they could only focus on improving their mystic foundation to grow stronger. 

Thus, Han Yuhei's emotions were all cascading downwards as he felt his actions of seeking out Wei Wuyin was absolutely correct! 

Those outside the starfield, the two members of the Imperial Clan—Imperial Monarch Tian Muyang and Sky Monarch Yang Chaoyue—and Ma Zheng were observing the ongoing clash with varied expressions. 

As for Wei Wuyin, under Ma Zheng's protection, he was making calculations as his visual senses were connected to Bai Lin. 

The two Imperial Clan Monarchs found themselves shaken so deeply that their hearts were trembling intensely. The strange Earthly Saint of Wei Wuyin was a 9th Runic Ascendant! A being strong enough to fight against the Soul Saint King, one of the top three Earthly Saints in the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region!

What did this mean?

Wei Wuyin, a mere mortal, wasn't just a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist with a mysterious backing, no, he was a cultivator that wielded the strength of two unfathomably powerful Earthly Saints at his beck and call, Wu Yu and this Earthly Saint! 

Adding his ancient Fire Phoenix, his connections with the Golden Life Pavilion, and that army of 1,000 Ascended beings, he seemed to be more and more frightening by the minute. Moreover, he had launched an offensive on trueborn, dealing them terrifying losses with a calculated ambush gathering many elite figures, including the Imperial Clan and a leader of a Starfield!

They had so, so many questions!

Wei Wuyin had heavily furrowed brows as he observed the high-speed fight through Bai Lin, feeling that the might of these Earthly Saints were absurd. Their shockwaves sent entire planets flying across hundreds of thousands of miles without being able to resist. If it wasn't for the protective formations, those planets would've all exploded, collapsed, or been sundered by these shockwaves.

He felt relieved that he told Zhan Zheng not to act haphazardly. But his furrowed brows weren't due to their might, but contemplation about how he should proceed. After using 8,000 War Souls, the Nexus War Flag's Spirits of War were upgraded. At least, some of them. 

The War Commander's current strength wasn't enhanced by the 8,000 War Souls, but simply his base power fueled by the preloaded soul energy of the War Talisman. If he wanted, he could field a stronger army. He was just deciding…if he should.

WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH!

Just as his thoughts reached this point, Ma Zheng and the two Imperial Clan Monarchs turned their heads to observe three comets of blazing light approaching with stupendous speed. They took less than a second from being in view in the distance to arriving about a few dozen miles from them. 

They were all wearing exquisite attires, each with their own distinct colors and symbols that defined them as Soul Monarchs of the Ninestar Sainthall! For example, the Soul Rumble Saint and Soul Falling Saint was present!

The former was a heavy-set man with a glorious black beard that touched his chest, full and healthy. He was bald yet his features were extremely handsome, especially his eyes that projected world-rumbling strength. His attire was tight-fitting, and his muscles underneath were well-defined, indicative of terrifying physical strength. 

The latter was an old scholar man wearing a taoist robe, very similar to the Golden Life Pavilion. His eyelids were tightly closed and gave a strange feeling as if he knew all and saw all. 

The last arriving member was a giant male that stood at three meters in height, absolutely towering over the others, and his build was equally as impressive. He seemed to be born from muscles and might, exuding endless vitality that shook the surrounding space with his every breath. 

Wei Wuyin's mind stirred with interest. This giant bore extremely strong resemblance to the titan race. The only difference was that he seemed to be a full-on giant, but the titan race was more natural, more like larger versions of humans. 

He heavily reminded him of a little meat-head that couldn't stop following him in Red Dove City. The thought of this person instinctively formed a slight smile on Wei Wuyin's face. Then, a wisp of emotional sadness swept his heart. 

Where was that meat-head?

Wei Wuyin's thoughts aside, the newly arrived Soul Monarchs all had expressions that were vigilant as they observed the Imperial Clan Monarchs and Ma Zheng. 

The old scholar stepped forward after glancing at the bundled planets at the edge of the starfield. If it wasn't for the Ennea Hall Alchemic Saint's formations deliberately preventing these planets from escaping the starfield, who knows how far they would've traveled. Planetary meteorites in the making! 

"Is the Imperial Clan declaring war against our Ninestar Sainthall?" The old taoist's words were calm, as if it lacked any urgency or seriousness to the topic of war. 

Tian Muyang gave a wry smile as he looked towards Wei Wuyin. Wei Wuyin had expertly navigated their oaths, allowing them to help without helping. It was a strange loophole that few would've been able to discover. Moreover, they acted against Trueborn, no member of the Ninestar Sainthall. 

Now, standing before the three Soul Monarchs, he was unable to really explain himself. As for lying, what good would that do? 

Yang Chaoyue was merely a Sky Monarch of the Imperial Clan, so she remained silent on the topic. In truth, they didn't need to answer. It's not like the Ninestar Sainthall would dare declare war against the Imperial Clan. That said, she glanced at Wei Wuyin, curious if they should stop the Soul Saint King from getting reinforcements. However, that would definitely be pushing their oaths to the edge unless they handled it perfectly. 

Perhaps this mortal youth had other tricks in his bag. She was more and more intrigued by Wei Wuyin's existence with every action he took.

Ma Zheng had similar thoughts as he just awaited Wei Wuyin's response. If given the order, he would unhesitantly hold back the three Earthly Saints. While he never considered himself a soldier of another, it was in his best interest to protect his investment that had already yielded him unimaginable gains. 

The Soul Monarchs subtly felt the three Earthly Saints with absurdly high statuses all defer to the mortal youth riding majestic avian creature. 

Was that the Fire Phoenix? 

Regardless, that was strange in and of itself. They couldn't help but give this youth with a rich mortal aura a deep look over. A Realmlord? Silver eyes? Wasn't this just like that…wait! Was this…Wei Wuyin?!

As for the man in question, Wei Wuyin finally exited out of his nostalgic thoughts as he turned towards the Ninestar Starfield. But before he could say anything, the Ninestar Starfield's border walls began to ripple. The border of the starfield was demarcated by a sphere of faint light that was barely visible to Ascended beings and outright invisible to mortals. However, through Bai Lin, he could feel the changes. 

"Shit!" The Soul-Falling Saint's heavy body shivered as he no longer bothered with the two Imperial Clan members, Ma Zheng, or Wei Wuyin. He shot off with mind-blowing speed into the Ninestar Starfield. The others gave Wei Wuyin a brief glance and then shot after the Soul-Falling Saint.

Before Wei Wuyin could react, they had already entered, so any possible attempts to stop them were ended before it could begin. Wei Wuyin, however, wasn't bothered by this. He never intended to stop them or risk breaking Mythical Oaths of his allies. Doing so would definitely complicate things to a tangled state.

Back to the main show, the War Commander and Soul Saint King stood in direct opposition. The Soul Saint King's expression was dark and gloomy, feeling an urge to snap something in half. He had exhausted a tremendous amount of mystic power yet his opponent had calmly handled his attacks with ease. 

"Oh?" The Soul Saint King's eyes lit with bright, excited radiance. 

"..." Zhan Zheng also felt the arrival of three Earthly Saints—reinforcements of the enemy. Either Trueborn or the Soul Saint King, it didn't matter which, but that they were here. This would definitely cause other Earthly Saints to feel a form of heavy pressure, but the War Commander had already determined his course of action, and he wasn't alone.

"Men! Intercept!" He shouted two words that caused the manifestations in the Chaos Mana to grow wilder, more ferocious, slaughtering and dying at faster rates. Those two words contained incredible power, and the 1,000 Ascended beings of his roared in compliance. As a unit, they prepared themselves!

Even if it was gods, ghosts, demons, or devils, they would fight without hesitation! 

The Soul Saint King sneered. Did this strange being really think his measly army was capable of stopping his allies? He was about to say 'pointless sacrifice', but his words were stuck in his throat as the War Commander tightly clenched his right fist! Suddenly, the entire world began to tremble.

Without warning, darkness engulfed the entire starfield!